J2SE 5.0 (september 30, 2004) tiger [originally numbered 1.5]- Generics: provides compile-time (static) type safety for collections and eliminates the need for most typecasts (type conversion).- Metadata: also called annotations; allows language constructs such as classes and methods to be tagged with additional data, which can then be processed by metadata-aware utilities.- Autoboxing/unboxing: automatic conversions between primitive types (such as int) and primitive wrapper classes (such as integer).- Enumerations: the enum keyword creates a typesafe, ordered list of values (such as day.monday, day.tuesday, etc.). Previously this could only be achieved by non-typesafe constant integers or manually constructed classes (typesafe enum pattern).- Swing: new skinnable look and feel, called synth.- Var args: the last parameter of a method can now be declared using a type name followed by three dots (e.g. Void drawtext(string... Lines)). In the calling code any number of parameters of that type can be used and they are then placed in an array to be passed to the method, or alternatively the calling code can pass an array of that type.- Enhanced for each loop: the for loop syntax is extended with special syntax for iterating over each member of either an array or any iterable, such as the standard collection classesfix the previously broken semantics of the java memory model, which defines how threads interact through memory.- Automatic stub generation for rmi objects.- Static imports concurrency utilities in package java.util.concurrent.- Scanner class for parsing data from various input streams and buffers.- Assertions- StringBuilder class (in java.lang package)- Annotations

Java SE 6 (december 11, 2006) sun replaced the name "J2SE" with java se and dropped the ".0" from the version number.Beta versions were released in february and june 2006, leading up to a final release that occurred on december 11, 2006.The current revision is update 14 which was released in may 2009.

- Support for older win9x versions dropped.- Scripting lang support: Generic API for integration with scripting languages, & built-in mozilla javascript rhino integration- Dramatic performance improvements for the core platform, and swing.- Improved web service support through JAX-WS JDBC 4.0 support- Java compiler API: an API allowing a java program to select and invoke a java compiler programmatically.- Upgrade of JAXB to version 2.0: including integration of a stax parser.- Support for pluggable annotations- Many GUI improvements, such as integration of swingworker in the API, table sorting and filtering, and true swing double-buffering (eliminating the gray-area effect).

Java se 6 update 10A major enhancement in terms of end-user usability.- Java Deployment Toolkit, a set of javascript functions to ease the deployment of applets and java web start applications.- Java Kernel, a small installer including only the most commonly used jre classes. Enhanced updater.- Enhanced versioning and pack200 support: server-side support is no longer required.- Java quick starter, to improve cold start-up time.- Improved performance of java2D graphics primitives on windows, using direct3D and hardware acceleration.- A new Swing look and feel called NIMBUS and based on synth.- Next-generation java plug-in: applets now run in a separate process and support many features of web start applications.